Scarlets 13-18 Bath: Shock Champions Cup win for visitors
By Robert Mulhern
Last Updated: 20/10/17 10:43pm
Rhys Priestland kicked Bath to a surprise 18-13 victory over Scarlets in a rain-soaked Champions Cup tie in Llanelli on Friday.
In atrocious conditions, the Bath fly-half hit six penalties in defiance of the stormy conditions and in doing so, denied Scarlets an expected home win.
Priestland epitomised Bath's efficiency on a night when the visitors tactically outsmarted the pre-match favourites with a composed performance built on territory.
The contest only featured one try by Steff Evans - a first-half score that will almost certainly feature in any try of the season shortlist.
But while that effort was a thoroughly deserved reward for Scarlets' adventure, it proved a night that paid a better return for a controlled approach.
And through Priestland and scrum-half Kahn Fotuali'i, Bath established a rhythm that tested Scarlets and then strung it across an 80-minute match-winning performance.
Bath set out their stall through the opening phases when Toby Faletau broke down the touchline to give the visitors a foothold deep in Scarlets' territory.
When there, they proved hard to shift and that territory yielded penalties.
With the rain streaming down, Bath's work in attack was often neat and accurate, despite the greasy conditions. And after a series of phases that stretched the Scarlets' defence, Roman Poite awarded Todd Blackadder's side a penalty.
Priestland converted, but Leigh Halfpenny almost immediately replied for Scarlets after Bath conceded a scrum penalty on the restart.
Still, the error count was already mounting - understandably so considering the terrible conditions - and Priestland extended Bath's lead to leave the visitors in front 3-6 after 10 minutes.
The contest, if not the weather, then settled into a rhythm dictated by the boots of the two fly-halves: Priestland and Patchell.
Both kicked often and sometimes carelessly.
But as the tie wore on, Priestland proved unerringly accurate from placed balls and better by way of finding territory.
Scarlets' indiscipline would soon take its toll.
Before it did, Scarlets' winger Steff Evans scored a spectacular try after the home side's adventurous running and handling was rewarded with a surging line-break from Evans, who then passed back inside to Gareth Davies on his shoulder. Evans then collected the popped return to streak over under the posts.
Roman Poite consulted the TMO to check for a forward pass. But the score stood and Halfpenny converted.
But the lead was short-lived. Bath began to find more stability in their set-piece play and Priestland hit two more penalties, to make it four from four attempts, and put the visitors in front at the break 12-10.
The contest resumed with the weather unchanged and Bath were looking like a team capable of staying the distance too.
Priestland was within a fumble of a try with the line at his mercy in the third quarter. But the TMO ruled he'd knocked the ball on after sliding to collect a foot-block on a Rhys Patchell clearance.
It was a brilliant effort from something out of nothing but Scarlets survived and backed themselves to play their way into better positions to win the match, rather than play the conditions.
To be fair. It was a policy that paid-off in the first-half with a try worthy of winning any match.
But not in these conditions and not on this kind of night.
